The intensity and/or color of a lighting fixture may be manipulated for a variety of purposes such as presentation, comfort, and well-being. Typical color control techniques may include dim to warm, correlated color temperature (CCT), and full color tuning. Dim to warm is a technique for adjusting the color temperature of a light source in proportion to the intensity so as to mimic the color shift of incandescent lamps with respect to intensity (e.g., warmer color temperature at lower light levels and cooler color temperature at higher light levels). CCT-based color tuning is a technique for controlling the color temperature and intensity of a light source independently within specified parameters. Full color tuning is a technique for changing the emitted color spectrum of a light source by mixing several base colors (e.g., red, green, blue) in different proportions.
Different types of intensity control/color tuning techniques may require different types of user interfaces. Dim to warm color control, for example, generally requires one control input. The input may be translated (e.g., by an LED driver) into an appropriate intensity and/or color control signal for driving the lighting fixture. CCT-based color tuning and/or full color control may require one control input for color temperature and a separate control input for light intensity. Further, a user may desire to not only apply the aforementioned types of control, but also receive feedback about the type, amount and/or result of the control being applied.
A traditional control device is usually designed to control one specific aspect of an electrical load. For example, a dimmer switch may be only capable of controlling the intensity of a lighting load. To control the color of the lighting load, a separate control device is often required. Using multiple control devices to control an electrical load not only increases the cost and amount of work required to set up the concerned load control system, but also negatively affects the usability and aesthetic appeal of the system. Traditional control devices also have very simplistic user interfaces that lack a feedback mechanism for keeping a user informed about the type and/or amount of control being applied.